Home made strawberry jam

I have to say that I absolutely love jam! You just canny beat a scone with some jam, clotted cream and a hot cup of tea regardless of the weather. So the other day I decided to make my own, and so glad I did it was possibly the easiest yet yummiest thing I have ever made. Here is what you'll need: 

Ingredients: 

1kg of washed ripe strawberries 

500g of jam sugar 

1 vanilla pod or 1 table tea spoon of vanilla extract

1 lemon 

Method: 

First things first sterilise all the jars and lids that you'll be using to put the jam in as this will get rid of any bacteria. Just boil the kettle and put them in the sink to completely cool down. 

Next you wanna cut all your strawberries in half, remember to wash them too. Then halve your vanilla pod lengthways and scrape out the seeds. However if you're using vanilla extract which I did put in between 1 to 2 table teaspoons.

The fun part! Add the seeds to your strawberries or extract  in either a saucepan or stainless steel pot, add your jam Sugar and lastly the juice  from the lemon. Now all you want to is mush it up with a potato masher to make a beautiful slurry texture. Depending on how you like your jam you could leave a few chunky bits to add a little texture. 

Now place the pan on medium heat and bring to a boil. Be careful though as it is sugar so it can burn pretty bad if it touches your skin. Then let it simmer for about 5-10 minutes and skim of the foam at the top. To test if it's ready place your jam on a cold plate and push your finger through the jam. You're looking for it to wrinkle and not flood back into the gap. if it isn't ready place back on a low simmer heat and try again. 

After about 15 minutes you can now place your jam into your jars, and decorate. For cheaper options grab some old fabric you have lying around and place over lids with elastic bands to add a cute vintage touch. Taadaa some delicious home made jam in under 30 minutes. Not bad right?